Another Royals Star Commits to Play in World Baseball Classic

The Kansas City Royals have some impressive coverage for the World Baseball Classic.

Already with Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, and Vinnie Pasquantino occupying spots on official rosters entering Thursday, third baseman Maikel Garcia became the latest to join the party.

Garcia, the first-time All-Star who tied for the lead among third basemen in wins above replacement last year, was officially announced as one of the newest members of Team Venezuela.

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Garcia joins loaded Venezuelan squad

Garcia, 25, earned his way to the Classic with a .286/.351/.449 slash line, Gold Glove defense, and 5.8 bWAR this past season. It had to be especially sweet to be selected, because in October, Garcia publicly hinted that he was worried about losing a popularity contest to be the starting third baseman for the Venezuelan side.

“They don’t like me,” Garcia said in a post on X.

Perez, of course, is the captain of Team Venezuela, which is actually his first time receiving the honor, as Miguel Cabrera was still around in 2023, the last time the event was played. His roster got major reinforcements on Thursday, as outfielders Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, and Wilyer Abreu also were officially announced as participants.

First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is the only member of Team Italy to be announced in an official capacity, but outfielder Jac Caglianone also committed to the Italian side in September.

Starting pitcher Seth Lugo also committed to Team Puerto Rico last April, but has not been officially announced as a member of the roster. Only three players — Francisco Lindor, Nolan Arenado, and Willi Castro — have been named to that roster thus far.

If we’re naming other Royals players with a chance to get to the WBC, closer Carlos Estévez stands out as a candidate for the Dominican Republic’s bullpen. Keep an eye on former first-round pick Frank Mozzicato as well as another Royal in the Team Italy pipeline, though his eligibility has not officially been confirmed.

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